In The Eyes of the Beholder
by fiercejinx
Summary: Because there is a difference between good friends and best friends and this is what it is: Good friends will accept you when they find out you're a werewolf. Best friends will become animagi to keep you company. Canon, surprise ending.


_Summary: Because there is a difference between good friends and best friends and this is what it is: Good friends will accept you when they find out you're a werewolf. Best friends will become animagi to keep you company. _

* * *

There was loud noise as something crashed to the floor and then a vile curse. Lupin sighed.

"Sirius," he called, "What did you do?"

"Nothing, don't worry," Sirius answered. Remus blinked.

"That bad?"

Silence. Then-

"Yeah…now get off your _arse_ and GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!"

Remus grinned and leaned back in his chair letting Sirius stew in his misery and in whatever mess he had made this time. After all, it wasn't like Sirius hadn't done that to _him_. As a matter of fact, there wasn't _anything_ much that Sirius hadn't done to him over the years. Sirius and James.

A smile appeared on his lips as he remembered the misadventures of the Marauders at Hogwarts; the legendary mischief-makers.

Although, if truth be told, the mischief- makers had been only Padfoot and Prongs. He had been the rather reluctant trouble shooter (sometimes _literally_) and Peter had been the awed spectator with a backstage pass.

He smiled.

Remus Lupin knew that they had all been good friends. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. The Marauders. They were the best of friends, but James and Sirius were_ the_ best friends…

Because there was something…something between them that no one else had…a depth to their friendship that was difficult for outsiders to fathom…because there is a difference between good friends and best friends and so many years ago, once upon a time in Hogwarts, this is how it was:

* * *

They _all_ know that Sirius Black does not like his family and his family does not like him and they _all_ know that Sirius does not care but James is the only one who knows that he _does _and when Sirius fights with Regulus and gets one of his moody spells, Lupin and Peter try to make him fell better but he snarls at them to leave him alone and they respect his wishes and leave quietly because _everyone_ knows that Sirius means what he says.

And then James comes and Sirius tells him to go away, but James ignores him and sits down in an armchair in front of the fire and Sirius is in one of the dark moods that he gets and he so he tells James to respect his privacy and will he please leave him alone for a while. James gives him a flat look saying "Don't be a git." And they stay that way the whole night, Sirius lost in his own thoughts and James being an ass and spoiling his loneliness.

* * *

When Sirius gets one on his rages, bent upon destroying their whole dorm, all the students leave quietly because Sirius's anger is not something anyone wants to see up close.

Remus and Peter are waiting outside uneasily and James comes and asks what the ruckus is all about and when they tell him, James silently walks away and then returns after some time with something hidden behind his back. And when he strides into the dorm, no one thinks to stop him because _everyon_e knows that _no on_e knows Sirius Black as well as James Potter does and if anyone has a chance of coming out of there alive, it's James.

James walks in without hesitation and hands Sirius a vase that he missed in his rampage. Sirius stares at him for a long time and then turns away and James pulls out a beater's bat from behind his back and leads him out on to the quiddich pitch as the entire gryffindor house watches silently.

_

* * *

_

_Everyone_ knows James has way too big an ego for his own good so when he moans about the cruelties of his lady Lily Evans, Remus and Peter lose no time in telling him to get over himself.

But when James one day quietly suggests that maybe he should give it up and that maybe he isn't good enough for her, Remus and Peter stare at him uncomprehendingly and it is Sirius who strides forward and punches him solidly across the mouth saying, "Don't be a wuss. Marauders never give up."

And when everyone else is gone, Sirius tells him in no uncertain terms that James Potter is good enough for _anyone_ and if Lily Evans doesn't know, that then they'll just have to make sure that she does.

* * *

When Remus tells explains to them about his being a werewolf, he notices James and Sirius exchange a look, a small smile and then a slight nod but at the time he doesn't think anything of it because he is by now used to their telepathic communication.

Then one fine morning James and Sirius announce that they are going to be animagi and even help Peter be one and Peter jumps up and down with excitement and Remus rolls his eyes because he knows all the harebrained schemes they come up with and knows that they will fizzle out in a few days.

But this one doesn't and Lupin watches, amazed as these two work out the method between them and even manage to help Peter who, no offence, couldn't cast shield charm to save his life. Remus watches _James and Sirius_, who could not concentrate one afternoon to finish their homework, work stubbornly for almost five years without complaints. And Remus doesn't even know how to tell them to stop because they do it as effortlessly as they do everything else and since the day they triumphantly transform for the first time in front of him, Remus stops nagging them about finishing their homework, because really, they don't need it.

* * *

Remus knows that Sirius chooses to transform into a dog because it would piss off his family to no end to find the heir of _The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black_, a dog animagus. Remus knows that it is his idea of a joke.

* * *

And the night of the next full moon, James and Sirius announce that they are going with him and Remus almost has a heart attack and a panic attack which they let him and when he's worn himself out with screaming about how insane their plan is, they patiently explain how werewolf bites and attacks are only dangerous to humans and not animals which is why they worked so hard to become animagi in the first place and Remus stares at them dumbstruck as they grin and wait for him to recover his wits and then Remus tries his best to dissuade them but of course it is no use because when have James and Sirius ever listened to _anyone_, except each other?

* * *

Their plan works as, of course, he was afraid it would and then they are in the shrieking shack and even after years of being a werewolf, Remus has never felt so ashamed in his entire life as he did that day as he transformed in front of the rat and the huge dog and the stag. And when the transformation is complete, the _werewolf_ cringes away from them, afraid to meet their gaze, feeling more lonely than he ever had before until the stag and the dog jump on him as one and then they are rolling around and having _fun _and from that day on, the one most terrible, nightmarish night for him became a glorious adventure.

* * *

When they started calling him Moony, Remus remained quiet at first, hoping they would get the point but of course hints were lost on these two and finally, when he couldn't take it anymore, he told them quietly to please not call him that anymore and he saw them quietly exchange smirks as if they had been waiting for this.

"Why not?" demanded James.

Remus couldn't believe the insensitive jerks and he had finally lost it.

"Because I'm a frigging werewolf once a month, if you hadn't noticed and let me tell you, its no walk in the park," he had shouted, "And so, the moon is not exactly my favourite thing in the world," he had finished, voice dripping with sarcasm, breathing hard.

He couldn't believe it. Of all people, he would have expected them to understand. They had seen a Boggart transform into _the moon_ for him and to taunt him about his fears was just low.

But when he turns around, James and Sirius are grinning shamelessly at him "But I don't understand why that's such a big deal," Sirius says thoughtfully, feigning innocence.

Remus couldn't believe his ears. "I am a W-E-R-E-W-O-L-F." He states, enunciating clearly. "You, you both grinning like monkeys over there have no idea what it's like to have such a curse upon you. I am a monster." He had finished quietly, voice dropping to almost a whisper as he voices his darkest fears and Sirius had grabs him and turns him around to face him and forces him to meet his eyes.

"You are _not_ a monster and don't you ever dare even think such things again. A _monster_ would not be subdued by a dog and a stag. A _monste_r would not hug Mr. Wuggles when James tells the story of the purple demon with a pigmy puff's head."

Remus's lips tightened at the casual mention of Mr. Wuggles, his best friend, the teddy bear he had had since he was 2. In his defense, pigmy puffs would look _scary_ if they had the bodies of purple demons and James was _good_ at telling scary stories.

"So," continued Sirius, "you don't need to be afraid of the full moon any longer because it's the most _awesome_ thing ever when you have a dog and a stag as friends -" Remus rolled his eyes at the _charming_ lack of modesty, "-and you can be sure you'll never be alone on you werewolf nights coz _we-_" here he grabs James , almost holding him in a chokehold with his arm around his neck, "-are never letting you deprive us of an amazing night of fun." He finishes triumphantly.

Remus tries very hard to keep the tears from sliding down his cheeks as he is squished between James and Sirius who have captured him in a bear hug.

And, of course, Padfoot and Prongs kept their promise.

From that day forth, Remus became Moony and the next time Remus came face to face with a boggart, it turned into the purple monster from James's stories.

* * *

Remus relives their lives, their adventures at Hogwarts and after but he finds himself remembering Peter less and less given his betrayal, given what he _did_. He gazes dreamily as Sirius enters the drawing room of Number 12, Grimmauld Place where they are spending Christmas. Apparently, he had managed to extricate himself from whatever he had gotten into. Sirius raises an eyebrow at him and he shakes his head silently.

It is funny how these two turned his world upside down and it is even funnier that he let them and his love of solitude and quiet has now all but disappeared because there _is no such thing_ as quiet when Padfoot and Prongs are around.

A small veil of sadness covers his eyes as he thinks of the betrayal of Peter Pettigrew, the third Marauder and he shudders to think what would have happened if he hadn't been caught in time, if Lily had not noticed how he seemed to lie a lot about his whereabouts, and if James and Lily had really been alone with Harry that day in Godric's Hollow when Voldemort came calling. Sirius silently stands behind him and places a strong hand on his shoulder as if he knows what he is thinking.

Lily and James enter the room smiling warmly at him and Lily glares suspiciously at Sirius who whistles innocently, hands in his pockets.

It has been 7 years now since the Dark Lord was vanquished, and the one to do it, of course had been James Potter, backed by the might of the Ministry of Magic, the Order of the Phoenix led by Albus Dumbledore but most importantly, Sirius Black and Lily Evans.

James and Lily's son, Harry Potter is now in his 2nd year at Hogwarts. A smart enough kid, but not as brilliant as James, although he seemed to have inherited James's talent on the quidditch pitch. He also seemed to have inherited Lily's sense of morals and respect for rules, to the eternal regret of his father and his godfather.

Lily discreetly points her wand at Sirius's hands in his pockets and mutters something under her breath and Sirius yelps and wrings his hands as if he's been burnt and then they all laugh as Sirius glares daggers at Lily because of whom, his hand is now covered in an orange, jellylike substance which, everyone suspects, was supposed to go on Lily's hair.

Remus wonders what it would have been like if things had not gone as they were supposed to if James and Lily had really – he closes his eyes- _died_ that night at Godric's Hollow as Voldemort had planned.

_Hmmm…_Lupin thinks_…it's an interesting idea...maybe I should write a book…_


End file.
